My mate bought a Kuota KOM Sram Red bike from LBS last week. Whilst they were setting it up for him at the shop apparently it took them over 30 mins to get the bike right coz the chain couldnt shift to the bigger crank on the front and the chain even fell off one time. Still wasnt perfect when it left the shop but was told by the mechanic once on the road it 'SHOULD' shift withno problems. When my mate took it out for the first ride, not even pedalling just rolling down a small slope road to clip his pedals on and i hear this "snap" on the rear of his bike and the rear derailleur hanger snapped right off taking a piece of the carbon fork along with it.

Mate took it to LBS and was told kuota rep will look at it and once they looked at it they said there is no defect on the frame and wont give a new frame or bike. LBS is saying when the bike left the shop the mechanic signed off saying the bike is good and working and are making my mate pay for half the repair costs. They said they can repair the damaged carbon on the back and fix the rear hangar.

What are you views on this? I feel as though my mate shouldnt have to pay a single cent!

Last edited by KuotaBoy on Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

What gear was the bike in when the derailleur hanger snapped? Large chain ring? Large rear cog? If the chain was cut too short and you were in the big-big combination, then this could snap the derailleur hanger. That's the fault of the bike shop and they should pay for the repairs or supply a new frame if the damage requires it.

Shop should pay, no question. And your mate has a witness. Your friend should look into legal options. There is a small claims tribunal (or words to that effect) and the NSW government site has easy to follow process suggestions for how to take a matter to them. It's not difficult or expensive, and you can do it yourself.

My mate got more news that the shop got a quote for fix the chipped off carbon from the rear fork will cost between $500-$800 or he can pay wholesale price on a brand new frame for $1199. Shop aint covering anything! Wow. Im pretty much dumbfounded. The Kuota distiributor who inspected the bike made the comment that the rear derailleur must of been forcefully moved or crashed on. But there is no evidence of any scratched on the drivers side of the bike or on the derailleur for him to come to that conclusion. Even said the LBS has a perfect record with his bikes and never had an issue liket his ever before. Wow really dusting their hands on this one.

I aint allowed to tell you guys which LBS this is am i? lol i definately would love to warn everyone here to watch out for this LBS and not deal with them.

biker jk wrote:What gear was the bike in when the derailleur hanger snapped? Large chain ring? Large rear cog? If the chain was cut too short and you were in the big-big combination, then this could snap the derailleur hanger. That's the fault of the bike shop and they should pay for the repairs or supply a new frame if the damage requires it.

yes it was both on those.... the thing is...they had alot of trouble getting the chain to get on the biggger chain ring and even fell off one time...doesnt that already mean the chain is too short?

Did the bike shop say why they believe the derailleur hanger snapped? If the bike wasn't crashed then the bike shop must have cut the chain too short or the hanger was already damaged (did they test ride the bike or just set the gears up on a stand?) I would contact Fair Trading in NSW.

biker jk wrote:Did the bike shop say why they believe the derailleur hanger snapped? If the bike wasn't crashed then the bike shop must have cut the chain too short or the hanger was already damaged (did they test ride the bike or just set the gears up on a stand?) I would contact Fair Trading in NSW.

they reckon my mate dropped the bike on the derailluer and it bent to the point when he rode it, thats when it hit the spokes. but that never happened.. i checked the deraileur myself and was in line and not bent before he rode it.Just came back from the bike shop and they said the kuota rep checked the chain and there was no issue with the chain.Apparently SRAM chains have a totally different deisng to shimano ones?

biker jk wrote:Did the bike shop say why they believe the derailleur hanger snapped? If the bike wasn't crashed then the bike shop must have cut the chain too short or the hanger was already damaged (did they test ride the bike or just set the gears up on a stand?) I would contact Fair Trading in NSW.

they reckon my mate dropped the bike on the derailluer and it bent to the point when he rode it, thats when it hit the spokes. but that never happened.. i checked the deraileur myself and was in line and not bent before he rode it.Just came back from the bike shop and they said the kuota rep checked the chain and there was no issue with the chain.Apparently SRAM chains have a totally different deisng to shimano ones?

Go and get the chain from the bike shop. Tell us the size of the largest chain ring and cog (number of teeth) and I can run it through a chain length calculator. So for a 53 x 25 example then the chain should be 53 inches for a 40.5cm chain stay length (fairly standard).

Isn't this a new bike?... chains don't get cut to size when assembling a new bike.Maybe ring the distributor direct, shop probably didn't mention that the bike had issues before they handed it to the customer, or that it was 5 minutes old.

Time to call the Department of Fair Trading and let them deal with it.

The bike wasnt right when you picked it up and the LBS told you it would be OK.

It wasnt. First ride it breaks.

Time to get legal. Dont let them push you around.

Only now, I would be seeking a refund because clearly they arent worth dealing with

CheersGlenn

-----------"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever" Lance Armstrong

Just to add tho. The Kuotas sold in Australia up to end of 2012 are still under Gemini's agreement, so Derby prob wont be interested.Last time I spoke to Gemini they said they had a few KOM left in stock they were trying to clear out before their trade agreement with Kuota ended.

biker jk wrote:Did the bike shop say why they believe the derailleur hanger snapped? If the bike wasn't crashed then the bike shop must have cut the chain too short or the hanger was already damaged (did they test ride the bike or just set the gears up on a stand?) I would contact Fair Trading in NSW.

they reckon my mate dropped the bike on the derailluer and it bent to the point when he rode it, thats when it hit the spokes. but that never happened.. i checked the deraileur myself and was in line and not bent before he rode it.Just came back from the bike shop and they said the kuota rep checked the chain and there was no issue with the chain.Apparently SRAM chains have a totally different deisng to shimano ones?

Go and get the chain from the bike shop. Tell us the size of the largest chain ring and cog (number of teeth) and I can run it through a chain length calculator. So for a 53 x 25 example then the chain should be 53 inches for a 40.5cm chain stay length (fairly standard).

SRAM rep is gonna look at it today and see if there is any fault on their part. If not we take next step. Really feeling for my mate. Spent 4k on his first bike and this happens within first 5 mins of getting on his bike ...

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